AMONG the highest number of casualties in this global public health crisis are on the front lines and since the coronavirus outbreak across the globe began, over 100 doctors and nurses around the world have died. In the 10 states covered by the Philippine Consulate General in New York, the reported number is less than…
CALIFORNIA’S number of coronavirus cases is nearing 17,000, as of Wednesday, April 8. The amount of positive cases stands at 16,957, based on figures from the California Health and Human Services Agency. Of those cases, 2,714 are in the hospital and 1,154 are in intensive care units. The leading county with the most cases is…
The Philippine Department of Labor and Employment will be receiving P5 billion in additional funding for programs designed to help formal sector workers affected by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The aid package for formal sector workers was approved by the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases through Resolution No….
FOLLOWING our columns about COVID-19 the past several weeks in this paper since the Wuhan outbreak, we received dozens of questions from our readers, which we have organized, consolidated, and answered below: I am confused, mask or no mask? If you do not have to go out, stay home, which is the safest sanctuary from…
The Philippines has temporarily suspended the deployment of health care professionals abroad amid the coronavirus pandemic to guarantee that the country itself has a sufficient number of medical front-liners. The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration last week approved the resolution to suspend sending Filipino health care workers abroad until the current crisis is over. Signed by…
AS California continues to fight the novel coronavirus outbreak, Governor Gavin Newsom said the state is slated to add 50,000 new hospital beds. The state this week has secured 4,613 additional beds at alternate care sites and shuttered hospitals to anticipate the surge in COVID-19 patients, Newsom said during a press briefing on Monday, April…
The Philippine Department of Health on Tuesday, April 7, reported 104 new cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country, bringing the official count to 3,764. “More than half or more or less 80% [of the cases] were recorded in Metro Manila,” noted Health chief Francisco Duque III. The Davao region and Central Visayas…
The enhanced community quarantine in Luzon will be extended until April 30 to further contain the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country, a cabinet official said on Tuesday, April 7. Previously, the quarantine was set to end on April 14. President Rodrigo Duterte approved the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force for…
MORE than 300 individuals of Asian descent have tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Los Angeles County, according to new data released by the Department of Public Health this week. The latest numbers from the department included a breakdown of cases by race and ethnicity for the first time since the outbreak began in…
Any Los Angeles County resident exhibiting symptoms of the novel coronavirus can now be tested for free, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced on Monday, April 7. The previous guidelines limited testing to residents over 65 years old, individuals who are immunocompromised, or those who were subjected to a 14-day quarantine because of exposure to a confirmed…
AFTER battling the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), ABS-CBN actress Iza Calzado candidly shared her experience. During an interview on “Magandang Buhay” on Monday, April 6, she said the symptoms she had were fever, cough and loss of appetite. After she was confined in the hospital, the doctors found that she had also contracted a bacteria called…
Written by Jessica H., an acute care registered nurse in Orange County I found the usual path too hectic. The walk from the parking structure to the main hospital building was brief, but I preferred to take the back route. It was quieter, with less frenzy from the hurried feet scurrying by. The walk was…
For several Filipino American designers, the spring season usually brings in orders for wedding dresses, debutante gowns, and outfits for other special occasions. But amid the coronavirus pandemic, cities like Los Angeles have ordered the closure of nonessential businesses and put large gatherings on hold. Instead of sitting idly by, designers are re-shifting their focus…
The total number of recorded novel coronavirus (COVID-19) cases worldwide has surpassed one million on Thursday, April 2, three months after the first case was reported in Wuhan, China. Over 1,095,000 people around the world have contracted the disease, with 58,787 fatalities and 225,796 recoveries, as of Friday, April 3, according to the latest figures…
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte came under fire after ordering the police and military to shoot quarantine violators dead during Luzon’s enhanced community quarantine due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). “I will not hesitate. My orders are to the police and military, also the barangay, that if there is trouble or the situation arises that people…
Low-income households will be receiving between P5,000 to P8,000 in cash under the Philippine government’s coronavirus relief program, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said on Thursday, April 2. The cash will be given along with the food packs it is distributing to beneficiaries, according to DSWD Secretary Rolando Bautista. “In cash na…
The new coronavirus, and the ways in which it has drastically capsized daily life for people across the world, has become the most pressing, quite literally life or death, issue of the new decade. Global pandemics affect everyone regardless of demographic markers, but in a world where justice and equity aren’t guaranteed, some communities are…
The U.S. Department of State on Tuesday, March 31, said that it has provided approximately $18.3 million in emergency health and humanitarian assistance to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states, including the Philippines. The local government received nearly $4 million, or approximately P200 million, in health assistance to help the government prepare…
NEVADA Governor Steve Sisolak this week issued several directives, including a formal “stay at home” order and the extension of nonessential business and school closures until April 30. Announced on Wednesday, April 1, the directive instructs the state’s 3 million residents to not leave their homes unless it’s for necessary activities, such as going to…
Nevada Senator Catherine Cortez Masto recently released a guide for residents seeking assistance, from unemployment insurance to health care services, during the coronavirus pandemic. The senator’s guide came alongside the passage of the historic $2.2 trillion relief bill last Thursday, March 26, which was subsequently signed by President Donald Trump. The plan will send direct payments…
A Filipina American detective of the Santa Rosa Police Department, who became California’s first line-of-duty death related to the novel coronavirus, was honored with a procession of patrol cars through the North Bay on Friday, April 3. Marylou Armer, 43, was a 20-year veteran of the department and succumbed to the illness on Tuesday, March…
By Harold Clavite/Contributor AT the end of a long work shift, Filipino nurse Jiggz Tabuclin would make it home in time to put his daughter to bed. But amid the coronavirus outbreak, this is no longer the case. Tabuclin instead parks his minivan outside of the house, then prepares a makeshift bed out of a sleeping…
Medical experts urge lawmakers to practice treatment equity, call for more tests to be administered to lower-income areas ONE month ago, lawmakers across the United States, including President Donald Trump, questioned the veracity and severity of the novel coronavirus within the U.S. despite warnings from the medical community. Back then, there were only a handful…
Jersey City, the city with the most diverse population in New Jersey, has more positive coronavirus cases than any other town or city in the state. The city now has 820 confirmed COVID-19 cases and six fatalities, including a DPW worker who was a part-time hospital security guard according to Mayor Steven Fulop. In a series…
The coronavirus that has caused a worldwide pandemic has killed more than 3,400 and infected more than 213,000 people in the United States, according to Johns Hopkins University, both figures surpassing those reported by China. Some people who were tested positive have begun their way to full recovery. After 17 days in the hospital, including…
THE Department of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday, April 1, announced that there are a total of 401 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) among overseas Filipino workers. Of the number, 270 are currently undergoing treatment, 118 have recovered while 13 have died. According to the agency, the OFWs who contracted the disease are from…
THE Department of Science and Technology on Monday, March 30, announced that at least 120,000 locally-developed test kits for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) will be rolled out this week. According to the agency, its priority is the production of 26,000 test kits for field implementation and distribution to certain hospitals that can do the testing…
CALIFORNIA Senator Kamala Harris denounced the rise of anti-Asian violence and discrimination in the United States and called on more protections for vulnerable populations, including front-line workers. Harris, the first South Asian American senator, said she’s confronted members of the Trump administration on its usage of calling the coronavirus, the “Chinese Virus” or “Wuhan Virus,”…
Experts warn of death toll could go up to 100,000-200,000 THE CORONAVIRUS pandemic the world is now fighting against is personal to me. My husband is a surgeon and is part of the pool of doctors called to assist in the care of coronavirus patients. My sister-in-law in Boston has just tested positive after taking…
Filipino American media professionals are paying tribute to veteran CBS News journalist and talent executive Maria Mercader who died over the weekend from the coronavirus. Born and raised in New York, Mercader, 54, spent over 30 years at CBS as a producer and most recently was a director of talent strategy. The Filipina American journalist…
